Longed for loneliness

The audience of a new show coming to Lancaster this Friday will actually be encouraged to leave their mobile phones on during performances.

I Wish I Was Lonely is a brand new interactive show where poet Hannah Jane Walker and theatre maker Chris Thorpe investigate what it means to participate in communication – or not.

It’s a show in which the audience commit to leaving their phones on throughout the performance as the demands and expectations of an “always available” culture are explored.

I Wish I Was Lonely will be performed in The Round at The Dukes and is a Live at LICA: In The City presentation.

The show, performed at 1pm and again at 8pm, will feature poems and stories constructed with the help of the audience. Phone-calls and texts received by the audience during the show may trigger additional material, making each performance unique.

I Wish I Was Lonely will be a gentle conversation with the audience about the effect of our increased contactability on our happiness, our personalities, and on the changing boundaries of ourselves.